Twins play wait and see with Nathan

FORT MYERS, FLA. - Joe Nathan is not the first pitcher to enter the final stages of spring training still searching for his killer slider. Experts say that pitch usually comes around as a pitcher's arm strength improves in camp and as the ball begins to come out of the hand free and easy.

Nathan, however, would make it easier on everyone if he can get that pitch working right. For a variety of reasons:

• Saturday is the one-year anniversary of the Twins reliever's Tommy John surgery, and he is trying to prove he can return to what he used to be.

• Nathan, with 246 saves with the Twins, is nine away from passing Rick Aguilera for the franchise's all-time lead.

• Nathan has a 11.05 ERA in eight major league spring training games.

• Matt Capps, who saved 42 games between the Twins and Nationals last year, is here to be either an excellent setup man or to return to closing if Nathan falters.

So Nathan needs to fine-tune his slider if the Twins are going to be comfortable with him starting the season as the ninth-inning guy. If not, then the Twins might have to navigate through a tricky situation.

"Obviously, he has done it for us over the years," pitching coach Rick Anderson said. "But he admitted to us too where, if you miss a year, you have to get in the flow of the game and the fans and the situations and he knows that and he just needs to work.

"If we find that he's going to close for us, great. If we find that ... whatever, we think time will take care of it. To me, I think he's farther ahead this year than he has been when he was healthy."

Nathan has been known to throw fastballs 86-89 miles per hour during spring training, then surge into the low-to-mid 90s once the season starts. Friday, he pitched against Class AAA Durham in a minor league spring training game at the Lee County Sports Complex. Nathan hit 90-91 on the gun, according to Anderson.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire also watched Nathan throw.

"His breaking ball's not as sharp as it has been, but I've seen really good ones," Gardenhire said. "And I've seen not-so-good ones. His fastball came out today; he pumped some good ones. Yesterday [against Philadelphia] he threw a bad one the guy hit. It is what it is. He's throwing the ball good, his arm's healthy. We'll see what happens."

Nathan opened the spring with four scoreless outings, then gave up six earned runs in a third of an inning on March 13 against the Phillies. Those same Phillies got him for three runs in an inning on Thursday.

Nathan threw two innings in a minor league game Monday and pitched an inning Thursday and Friday -- all with no problems to his surgically repaired elbow.

Nathan and Anderson have talked about Nathan using his curveball (a pitch that they really like this spring) and his changeup (a pitched he has developed while rehabbing from surgery) in addition to the fastballs he throws.

But Nathan talked like someone fully expecting to get the ball in the ninth inning once the season begins -- regardless of his spring statistics.

When asked if he's comfortable to pitch in the ninth inning right now, he said: "Absolutely. If I'm comfortable to pitch, I'm comfortable to pitch in the ninth."

Capps has thrown 8 1/3 scoreless innings, looking good while doing it. He was expected to get save opportunities only when Nathan needed rest.

"I think Capps and I will both say that as along as we are both on this team and both are helping this team win [that's what matters]," Nathan said. "The thing we both agree on is that we both want to be in the postseason again."

Gardenhire and Anderson have the final say, and everyone involved is expected to meet before the season begins to officially define the roles.

"I just want them healthy right now," Gardenhire said. "I'll talk to them way before I talk to you about it. Way before."